Get the absolute most out of your time – so that you can fully embrace switching off, progress your ambitions and find more fulfillment in the day-to-day
Do you ever wonder why some people seem to get so much done, it appears damn near impossible? Do you ever feel like you’re on a treadmill of work and responsibilities, and yet nothing much ever seems to progress? Do you find yourself constantly just hanging out for the weekend, rather than enjoying and getting immersed in what you’re doing?
I used to feel like that a lot too (and of course, still do at times). But for the most part, I enjoy what I do and know that I am using my time to get the absolute most out of it. The way we’re taught to perceive time when we’re younger is problematic, I think, because it sets up unrealistic expectations for the future.
When I was still in school and university, the only real concept of time I had was measured by classes and school terms.
When you get into your career, it can be a shock because, aside from four weeks of holiday per year (for those of us who take them), there is no real break. It can seem like an endless, relentless series of work and responsibility and this never-ending, rest-of-your-life pressure can cause cracks in the best of us.
Aside from planning short-term and long-term goals to find work that you truly enjoy and the tasks which play to your strengths (which is another post altogether), when you’re faced with these feelings in the meantime, I believe there’s only one way to respond.
This one solution will not only keep you satisfied and at optimum levels of productivity so that you’re making the most of your time, but will allow you to feel fulfillment and satisfaction on a daily basis where before you might have been looking towards the past or the future and feeling uncomfortable with the present moment.
The solution to productivity and daily happiness is to be in the present moment.
According to Tim Ferriss in his book The 4-Hour Work Week, tasks expand to fit the time available to complete them. So this means, there’s usually a more efficient way of getting things done. So how much time do we need then? After all, we still need time to complete tasks.
It’s easy to see why there’s so much confusion around time, and why we often feel we don’t have enough of it. (Hint: the more we feel we don’t have time, the more we’re bringing this into reality).
The best tool I have found to improve productivity is this: when doing any task, be fully in the present moment.
This is simple yet not easy to achieve, and requires practice and fine-tuning. Eckhart Tolle nailed the concept of living in the present moment in his book The Power of Now. Yet, when I read the book for the first time about five years ago, I had a hard time grappling with the reality of doing this while simultaneously being so busy.
I couldn’t see how I could realistically incorporate presence into my busy lifestyle when I was always required to be thinking one step ahead, or building upon past instances to create better processes in future.
Therefore I had to find tools and techniques in order to implement presence into my daily life. It took me sustained and consistent practice to fine-tune the art of just focusing on the task at hand, but I found that when I got it, it changed things exponentially. It was worth the effort.
Here are my most significant tools for finding presence in busy, daily life:
Lose the guilt by making decisions
I found that I had a large amount of guilt around being present, because I was always thinking ahead at the next thing that should be done or the various outcomes of the task at hand.
I was also questioning whether I should be doing what I was doing, or whether I should be doing something else that was equally important. My mind was, essentially, jumping all over the place with a lurking sense of unease in the background.
The thing that I hadn’t learned yet was how to make these types of decisions on a day-to-day basis. I just jumped right in to tasks. Now, I consider the pros and cons of what I should be doing before getting started.
Once I get going, even though there’s other things that I could be working on, I fully commit to what I’m doing. This enables me to free up head space from the guilt that I would previously have felt about the tasks that remained undone. It also enables me to focus fully on the present tasks, knowing it is the most important, without worrying about the other stuff.
Use music or sound to tune out distractions and step into the ‘flow’ zone
I am a very social person, but when I am working, I like to tune out distractions and put myself into a ‘flow’ zone through music or sound. If I need motivation, high-energy music (kundalini or pop work well!). If I just need to hone in on a task, I like to listen to nature sounds such as rain or beach noises.
This puts me almost in an out-of-body state where I am fully focused on what I’m doing. It enables me to drown out other distractions and step outside of my own head, committing fully to what I’m working on and offering immersion in the task.
Set aside time to plan
By setting aside specific time to look at your workload in its entirety, rather than either jumping straight in or listening to someone else’s thoughts on your workload, you will be better able to put aside the things you don’t need to focus on right now.
Often, this requires setting expectations for others and this is true both in business, and in life. Disappointment and friction often comes from people’s expectations of you not being met. This is why it’s so important to set up parameters in advance about what you are doing, and to communicate effectively the reasons behind why you’re doing something so that people understand and are better placed to support rather than limit you (whether subconsciously or not).
Ultimately, find something that you enjoy doing that plays to your strengths and do more of those things. If you can combine your talent and your work that is going to be the sweet spot for you to create flow, and make the most of your time.
How do you approach time management and get the most out of your day?
